2013 Per Capita Tax

One of these days I should probably un-join the Mother Church, I’m not sure why I’m still a member, I didn’t pay any “per capita taxes” for several years after I got married, they messed up my mailing address even though I sent them the new one, and for the longest time I sent in the minimum $1 as a check.

The Church Manual Article VII, Section 13 states

Every member of The Mother Church shall pay annually a per capita ta of not less than one dollar, which shall be forwarded each year to the Church Treasurer.

At this point it probably costs them more than $1 to process a $1 check.

There are also “opportunities for additional giving” which include the Church Endowment Fund, the Christian Science Monitor Operating Fund, the MBE Library, and Planned Giving (they’re happy to help coordinate with your estate planning).

Apparently the theme of this years per capita tax campaign is “Christ’s Love calling us together” and it comes with a letter from someone I can only assume is the treasurer. The letter contains this apt and timely gem:

At times, however, we might feel alone, distanced from church, even cut off from God’s love or the human fellowship that expresses it.

I don’t need a God to express Love (or to be loved). I don’t need to belong to a church to charitable. I can find a sense of fellowship in a number of places, it doesn’t need to happen in a church, with pews and someone telling me how to live my life.

I wonder if the Official TMC church website has information about how to leave… apparently not.

2 thoughts on “2013 Per Capita Tax”

A quick informal poll in the CS Anon Facebook group shows that most of us who’ve left/lapsed from CS have also lapsed from our per capita tax as well. The church hasn’t dropped us from the membership rosters and keeps sending us the form every year. We’re not sure how to make them stop, and we don’t really care enough to bother. It’s really rather sad.

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